The seven Israelis accused of spying for Iran were collectively paid $300,000 to carry out more than 600 missions to collect information on Israeli military bases and other sensitive sites, officials said.

The seven suspects, including an IDF deserter and two teenagers, were arrested last month on charges of aiding the enemy in war and providing information to the enemy in a major breach of Israeli security.

“This is one of the most serious cases of security breaches ever discovered in the State of Israel, carried out by Israeli citizens who knew full well that they were acting against the security of the country and for Iran, at a time when Israel was engaged in a difficult war on multiple fronts,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement.

The suspects are all from Haifa, in the north of the country, and allegedly provided military intelligence to Tehran for two years, prosecutors say in a 20-page indictment. obtained by The Times of Israel.

Azis Nisanov, 43, was recruited by Iran to run the spy network in late 2022 when he was contacted by a foreign agent.

He agreed to begin relaying photos and information in exchange for money due to financial difficulties, prosecutors said.

He hired Alexander Sadykov, 58, to be his deputy and manage the other agents, Israeli prosecutors said.

Nisanov’s son Yigal Nissan, a 20-year-old former soldier, was also recruited to compete in the ring. Nisan was declared AWOL on December 4, 2023.

Sadykov’s friends Vyacheslav Gushchin, 46, and Yevgeny Yoffe, 47, as well as a 16- and 17-year-old were also involved, officials said.

In exchange for this information, the suspects received payment and reimbursement for equipment expenses ranging from $500 to $1,200 per task. After hundreds of missions, the ring received $300,000 from Iranian agents.

“Our assessment is that the activities of this network have caused damage to Israel’s security,” a Shin Bet official said Monday.

Espionage operations continued until the Hamas attacks on October 7. However, in November, the group began posing as tour guides to provide cover, according to the indictment.

The defendants allegedly provided photos of Israeli air bases in Nevatim, Ramat David, Tel Nof and Palmachim, as well as bases in Beer Tuvia, Kiryat Gat, Emek Hefer and the Glilot complex north of Tel Aviv, according to the Times of Israel.

They are accused of photographing the crucial missile defense systems of Israel’s Iron Dome near Haifa, government buildings, several ports, power plants and an IDF observation balloon, prosecutors said.

They were also tasked with scouting foreign sites, including chartering a boat to Cyprus to photograph the port and the landing route for flights between the island and Israel.

Nisanov was also invited to track down a gas engineering expert from the University of Haifa who had given lectures on Iran.

In mid-September, the group was invited to photograph soccer matches at Turner Stadium in Beersheba, as well as youth league practices.

Several suspects were arrested by authorities while taking photos in the nearby town of Lahav on September 19, with Gushchin and Yaffe arrested days later.

The spying comes from highly classified US intelligence documents showing Israeli military preparations for an imminent attack on Iran. were leaked online.

The documents, dated October 15 and 16, describe Israeli Air Force exercises involving air-to-ground missiles. The leak is not linked to the spy network.